Donald Trump GOP Base Vanishing; Loses Second Big Texas Endorsement

Donald Trump suffered another major setback in Texas.The Dallas Morning News, which hasn’t endorsed a Democrat in more than 75 years, called Hillary Clinton the “only serious candidate on the presidential ballot.”

The endorsement is a stunning rebuke of Trump, who won the GOP primary in a bruising battle, alienating much of the GOP establishment.

“Our values are more about individual liberty, free markets and a strong national defense,” said the newspaper in an editorial.

“We’ve been critical of Clinton’s handling of certain issues in the past. But unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has experience in actual governance, a record of service and a willingness to delve into real policy.”

The newspaper gave Clinton high marks for her foreign policy experience, her willingness to delve into policy issues and her ability to work across the aisle in Congress.

“Though conservatives like to paint her as nakedly partisan, on Capitol Hill she gained respect from Republicans for working across the aisle: Two-thirds of her bills had GOP co-sponsors and included common ground with some of Congress’ most conservative lawmakers,” it noted.

“It’s no accident that hundreds of Republican foreign policy hands back Clinton. She also has the support of dozens of top advisers from previous Republican administrations, including Henry Paulson, John Negroponte, Richard Armitage and Brent Scowcroft,” the editorial said.

The newspaper acknowledged Clinton’s missteps–her penchant for shading the truth, using a private email server while Secretary of State, ties to the Clinton Foundation.

But it said that right-wing conspiracy mongers and political opponents have damaged their own cause. “They refuse to see anything but conspiracies and cover-ups.”

“Clinton has made mistakes and displayed bad judgment, but her errors are plainly in a different universe than her opponent’s,” it stated.

The editorial went on to issue a stinging rebuke of Trump.

“He plays on fear — exploiting base instincts of xenophobia, racism and misogyny — to bring out the worst in all of us, rather than the best. His serial shifts on fundamental issues reveal an astounding absence of preparedness. And his improvisational insults and midnight tweets exhibit a dangerous lack of judgment and impulse control.”

IM reported yesterday on the dirty tactics that Trump has used in his business dealings for years and how he has employed them in his political dealings, as well.

In another telling blow, The Houston Chronicle has broken its long string of Republican presidential endorsements and called for Hillary Clinton’s election.

The endorsements are significant because of the state’s voting history.

Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to carry Texas in a presidential election in 1976. In every election since then, the Republican candidate has won the state’s 38 electoral votes by wide margins. Texas is a winner-takes-all state.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican candidate, won Texas with 57.2 percent of the vote against President Obama.

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